MEN'S HOOP CONTINUES IMPROVEMENT HEADING INTO 2009-10

Sep 14, 2009

DURHAM, N.H. -
Entering his fifth season as head coach, expectations are running
high for Bill Herrion and the University of New Hampshire men's
basketball team as they prepare for the upcoming 2009-10 season. A
year ago, Herrion and the Wildcats knocked on the proverbial door;
this year they want nothing less than to walk through it - or bust
it down. With nine letterwinners - including four starters -
returning, combined with four newcomers who should have an
immediate impact, the Wildcats are in good position to make it
happen.

Radar Onguetou

Despite graduating captain and
1,000-point scorer Tyrece Gibbs and fellow guard Eric Gilchrese,
who helped lead the Wildcats to their most successful season in 15
years, which included just their sixth America East semifinal in
school history that saw them fall seconds short of hosting their
first ever title game, the ‘Cats come back with a loaded
junior class and a pair of experienced, veteran players in
Radar Onguetou (Yaounde, Cameroon) and
Colbey Santos (Onset, Mass.).

Onguetou, whose toughness and
rebounding ability will be a staple under the basket for the
Wildcats, will come back a full year removed from a knee injury
that robbed him of all but four games of the 2007-08 season. A
junior forward, Onguetou played in 28 games last season, including
23 starts, and averaged 5.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists in
24.3 minutes per game, while also being named to the five-member
America East All-Academic Team.

Santos, a senior guard who sat out
the 2007-08 season after transferring from James Madison, played in
29 games last season while averaging 3.1 points during 13.7 minutes
of action per game. His best game, however, came in the most
important contest of the year when he displayed the deadly shooting
ability and athleticism that will make him a major perimeter
threat. With two of UNH's top 3-point shooters out of its semifinal
matchup with Binghamton, Santos came off the bench and in 22
minutes poured in a career-high 17 points on 5 of 7 shooting,
including 4 of 5 from behind the arc, to go along with seven
rebounds and two steal.

Colbey Santos

Juniors and 2008 America East
All-Rookie Team members Alvin Abreu (Lynn, Mass.)
and Tyrone Conley (Burlington, Vt.), who will be
counted on to pick up some of the scoring load from the departed
Gibbs, join Santos in the backcourt. Abreu played in 27 games last
season, including 20 starts, but missed the final three contests
due to injury. Abreu, who moved between the point guard and
two-guard spots, averaged 12.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.2
assists, while playing 29.6 minutes per game. With added depth at
the point this season, Abreu should be able to play his more
natural two-guard position and carry the majority of the scoring
load.

Conley, meanwhile, was one of three
Wildcats to play in all 30 games while starting 24 contests.
Despite battling an injury all season that was corrected in the
spring, Conley averaged 8.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in
27.8 minutes per game.

Sophomore Russell
Graham (Norristown, Pa.) will return as the team's most
experienced point guard. A combination of his ferocious defense as
one of the Wildcats' top on-the-ball defenders and the seven-week
absence of Gilchrese put Graham into 24 games, including five
starts, where he averaged 2.7 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and
a 1.3 assist-to-turnover ratio that was third best on the team in
15.2 minutes per contest.

Classmate Ryan
Herrion (Dover, N.H.) rounds out the returning backcourt
for the Wildcats. Herrion appeared in eight games off the bench
last season, while averaging 2.5 minutes per contest. Herrion
showed he was a true deep threat when he scored a career-high six
points on 2 of 3 shooting from behind the arc in the season opener
against Suffolk on Nov. 16.

The Wildcats will welcome in
freshman Chandler Rhoads (Berryville, Va.), who will compete with
Graham for the starting point guard slot. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound
Rhoads attended Air Force last season and averaged 17 points, five
rebounds, five assists and three steals per game. Rhoads, who has
great size, speed and strength and will increase the Wildcats'
already solid depth on the perimeter, graduated as the all-time
leading scorer at Clarke County High School with 1,638 points.
Rhoads, who was named Virginia State A Basketball Player of the
Year after averaging 25.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per
game during his senior campaign, lead Clarke County to a pair of
state championships during his four years at the school. Rhoads was
also a First Team All-State member his junior and senior seasons,
as well as being a McDonald's All-American nominee his final year
at Clarke County.

Freshman Ferg
Myrick (Philadelphia, Pa.), a 6-6, 180-pound wing will
also wear the blue and white this season. Myrick, a very good
athlete who has size and is long, averaged 20 points, 12 rebounds
and two blocks per game last season at Prep Charter High School.
Myrick, a McDonald's All-American nominee, led Prep Charter to a
21-7 record.

For a third straight season, junior
Dane DiLiegro (Lexington, Mass.) will again anchor
the middle of the UNH frontcourt. DiLiegro took a giant step
forward last season, playing in all 30 games, including 28 starts,
which was second most on the team, while averaging 5.7 points and
6.9 rebounds per game. The center was second in the conference in
offensive rebounding (2.9 orpg) and sixth in rebounding overall,
while he led the team in rebounding and field goal percentage
(.529), and was second in steals (0.8 spg). DiLiegro recorded six
double-digit scoring games and six double-digit rebounding games,
including four double-doubles. He poured in a career-high 21 points
on 10 of 14 shooting to go along with 12 rebounds against Maine on
Feb. 19 and pulled down a career-high 17 boards in the conference
opener against Hartford on Jan. 7.

Classmate James
Valladares (Kaufman, Texas), who will continue to spell
DiLiegro and the rest of the UNH frontcourt, provided solid minutes
off the bench last season, appearing in 12 games while averaging
1.7 points and 1.0 rebound in 6.3 minutes per game. With their
roster riddled with injuries in the tournament, Valladares came off
the bench cold and matched a career high with six points in the
quarterfinal versus Stony Brook and posted four points and three
boards in the semifinal against Binghamton.

Sophomore Brian Benson (Rochester,
N.Y.) should see increased playing time after a successful freshman
year. Benson played in 23 games, averaging 2.3 points and 2.8
rebounds in 12.7 minutes per contest. Benson was also second on the
team in blocks (0.5 bpg) and owned the third highest field goal
percentage (.415) on the team of anyone with at least 40 attempts.

Freshmen Chris
Matagrano (Sayreville, N.J.) and Allie
Fullah (Hackney, England) will both compete for playing
time in the frontcourt with the three returners. The 6-9, 250-pound
Matagrano, who plays hard and will bring a great work ethic to the
squad, averaged 12 points and eight rebounds per game last season
for Blair Academy, where he led the school to a 19-4 record, as
well as the program's first New Jersey Prep A state championship in
school history. Matagrano, who has great size, physical presence
and very good skill for a big man, graduated from Sayreville High
School, where he led the program to the NJSIAA tournament in
2007-08 for the first time in five years after averaging 12 points
and 12 boards per game en route to being voted the squad's MVP.

Unlike a typical freshman, the 6-8,
220-pound Fullah will bring a wealth of experience to Durham after
playing internationally for two years as a member of the U-20
British National Team. Fullah, who has a long, athletic body and
will help the ‘Cats on the defensive end and on the glass
because of his quickness around the basket, averaged 20 points, 12
rebounds and three blocks per game en route to being named co-MVP
during his senior season at Homerton College of Technology.

With a rock solid nucleus,
increased depth and another talented recruiting class, the Wildcats
have a group of athletes and an experienced coaching staff that
have positioned themselves for a successful run at an America East
title in 2009-10.